An update on the appliance rebate program

Some 25,000 shoppers apparently never completed the filing requirements to get their appliance rebates, leaving about $4.8 million unclaimed in the states Great Appliance Swap Out program, which was launched last February.

If you’re one of those, you can check the status online of your filing, and may still be able to complete the necessary paperwork to get that rebate, says Jeffrey Gordon of the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority.

Also, the program never technically expired, so those who may have bought qualifying appliances in the months since the first program may still be able to submit a rebate request form. There was a waiting list established after the money was spoken for, and you can join that list.

But you need to have actually purchased a qualifying Energy Star appliance. Your retailer may be able to advise you on whether you qualify.

And if you can no longer find your original receipts, Gordon suggests that your retailer may also be able to provide you with a new receipt.

“There’s been a lot of interest” since NYSERDA relaunched the program Wednesday, Gordon said. “It’s accomplishing what we hoped it would accomplish, which is to get people to switch from older, inefficient appliances to more efficient appliances,” while also stimulating the state’s retail sector.